Wu Yulan raised an eyebrow. The fact that she hadn’t strangled that troublesome son already was mercy enough.
The reason there was one extra skewer was because she had included the newborn baby in her count.
“Not for him. It’s for that little baby.”
“She’s too young to eat it now, so I’ll help her eat it. When she’s older, I’ll make it up to her.”
As she spoke, she took a bite of the candied hawthorn.
Song Zhiyong handed his over. “Mother, I’m already an adult. I don’t like sweet things. You keep it.”
Wu Yulan snatched it and stuffed it straight into his mouth. “As long as you call me Mother for a day, you’re my child for that day. Eat.”
Song Zhiyong froze. Mother still remembered that he was her child…
He slowly savored the sweet taste in his mouth—something he had never tasted in his thirty years of life.
So candied hawthorn was this sweet.
“Mother, is this bolt of fabric for making clothes for Uncle again?” Wang Guiqin scratched her head as she looked at the light pink cloth.
She thought to herself: A grown man wearing this color would look rather flashy…
“No. Cut some to make swaddling wraps and clothes for the baby. Use the rest to make one outfit each for the three girls at home.”
The moment Wang Guiqin heard this, her eyes lit up.
“Mother, you’re serious?!”
It wasn’t strange for her to be shocked. Looking across several villages, hardly any families specifically bought fabric to make clothes for girls.
And in the past, her mother-in-law had despised the girls in the family, calling them “money-losing goods” all day long. Now she actually wanted to make them new clothes!
How could that not be astonishing?
The others, upon hearing this, were equally incredulous.
“Yes. You and the second daughter-in-law will handle the sewing,” Wu Yulan said, carrying the bolt of fabric straight into Wang Guiqin’s room.
When the three girls heard they would soon have new clothes, they jumped excitedly in place.
New clothes! From birth until now, they had never worn any. The clothes on them were mostly hand-me-downs from Third Uncle, altered after he wore them out.
The colors were always dull and dark—never a single bright shade fit for a girl. Now, hearing they would have pink new outfits, their hearts overflowed with joy.
Suddenly, Wu Yulan felt a tug at her hem. Looking down, she saw Chun Ni clutching her sleeve, gazing up at her with watery eyes.
“Grandma, can you always treat us this well?”
Wu Yulan didn’t answer. She simply patted her head.
“Go cook.”
“Mother, you rest—I’ll do it!” Wang Guiqin trotted after her.
Zhao Lijuan hurried along as well.
Wu Yulan understood clearly: a general who cannot lead troops is not a good general.
She measured out the rice, directed one to cook porridge, then instructed another to kill a fish, while she herself went to the vegetable patch in the courtyard.
In the past, the vegetables grown there were kept to sell for money and weren’t allowed to be touched, so they had rarely been harvested.
Chinese cabbage, bok choy, white radish, pumpkins, winter melon, celery, scallions—everything was lush and thriving.
Wu Yulan had no intention of relying on vegetables to earn money. She picked whatever she wanted: a winter melon, some bok choy, and a few scallions.
“Mm. Tonight we’ll have winter melon pork bone soup, braised dried vegetables with pork, fish, and a stir-fried bok choy. That’s enough.”
Song Qianhua, who had been standing nearby, hurried over with a basket. “Grandma, should I wash all these?”
Without ceremony, Wu Yulan handed her the basket. “Wash them all. We’re eating them tonight.”
Remembering she hadn’t rendered the lard yet, Wu Yulan quickly took out the slab of pork fat, washed it, cut it into small pieces, and placed them in the pot with a bit of water to start rendering.
Under the high heat, the chunks of fat gradually turned into crispy cracklings…
“What smells so good?” Song Erlang licked his lips, staring eagerly toward the kitchen.
Song Qianhua scattered wild greens into the chicken coop. “It’s the smell of pork cracklings.”
After feeding the pigs, Song Dalang fetched some water and wiped his face.
“Don’t think about it. The cracklings are for Uncle.”
In the past, whenever lard was rendered, only Song Zhishu got to eat the cracklings. Song Dalang didn’t want his younger siblings hoping for something they wouldn’t get.
Song Erlang sniffed. “But why does it smell like it’s getting closer to us?”
Bonk!
His head was suddenly tapped. Song Erlang clutched it in pain and turned around to see Wu Yulan standing there with a bowl in her hands.
“You’re the older brother—how can you just stand there and let your nine-year-old sister feed the chickens?”
Song Erlang scratched his head sheepishly. “Grandma, I just finished watering the vegetable patch.”
Wu Yulan said nothing more and shoved the bowl into his hands.
“The meal’s not ready yet. Eat some to fill your stomach first.”
Song Erlang stared at the glistening cracklings, nearly dazed by the aroma. “Grandma… this is for us?”
Wu Yulan picked up a piece and stuffed it into his mouth. “No, it’s for feeding puppies.”
“Hehehe…”
Sprinkled with a little salt, the cracklings were irresistibly fragrant.
Though they burned his tongue, Song Erlang refused to spit them out.
“You siblings share it.”
After giving the instruction, Wu Yulan went back to her work.
Holding the bowl, Song Erlang stared at her retreating figure without blinking. “Grandma… actually gave me cracklings.”
The scent made Song Qianhua swallow repeatedly. “Big Brother, should we eat?”
Song Erlang immediately stuffed a piece into her mouth. “Grandma said to eat. Just eat. At worst, we’ll get a beating!”
Song Qianhua thought that made sense. At most, they’d get beaten—it wouldn’t be the first time.
The children gathered with sparkling eyes, each tasting a small piece.
They didn’t forget the adults either. After eating a few, they carried the bowl to share with the others.
When the dishes were ready, Wu Yulan portioned them out and first brought some to Li Xiuyun.
Knock, knock, knock.
“Time to eat.”
After speaking, Wu Yulan pushed the door open.
Seeing her mother-in-law, Li Xiuyun hurriedly set aside her embroidery and rose from the bed.
“Mother!”
“Your most important task now is to recover. Put the embroidery aside for the time being.”
Wu Yulan had naturally noticed the handkerchief on the bed as she placed the dishes on the table.
Seeing fish and meat laid out, Li Xiuyun grew even more uneasy. “Mother, you should keep these good things for yourself. I… I can just drink some thin porridge.”